In developing a physics course that would capture medical student interest at the University of Queensland (Australia), it was discovered that there is minimal correlation between students' interest in a subject and perceptions of its difficulty but strong correlation between interest and perception of its relevance to clinical studies.…

Discusses the issues of a curriculum of literacy in Canada. Describes the influence of educational trends in the United States and Great Britain. Suggests that the literacy problem is not such a crisis as the media makes it appear. Urges a union of educational and scholarly concerns, building on lessons of history and theory. (DK)

Examines the rates of attrition for undergraduate engineering students by addressing the following issues: ease of transition from high school to college; relevance of basic science coursework to engineering curricula; emphasis on management within general education component; improvement of academic advising schemes; development of universal…

Argues that equal educational opportunity has never been realized nationally or internationally. Suggests that the degree of selection is higher in Germany and other German-speaking countries than elsewhere. Concludes that exceptional curricular and structural factors in Bielefeld's experimental Oberstufen-Kolleg helped achieve equal educational…

Discusses the Bradley Commission, which voiced concerns about the adequacy of the K-12 social studies curriculum. Suggests that the need for the history-centered curriculum endorsed by the commission is not supported by research. Cites findings contradicting commission claims that history instruction promotes good citizenship. (SG)

Discusses the integration of aural, visual, tactile, and kinesthetic modalities into teaching to help at-risk students retain lessons. Suggests combining the "Learning to Read through the Arts" approach with sequential arts instruction. Recommends musical pieces to be used while students listen, discuss, and record their analysis of the…

A method for evaluating Ireland's core school curriculum that considers 14 declared goals (aesthetic, creative, cultural, emotional, intellectual, moral, personal, physical, political, practical, recreational, social, spiritual, and vocational) and 4 teacher intentions (communication/fluency, cognitive understanding/manipulation, care/task…

Guidelines for creating competency statements for competency-based dental education are offered. They include steps and considerations in defining competency, gaining and organizing information gained from experts, and formatting statements efficiently and clearly. A glossary explains significant terms common in competency-based education and…

It is argued that clinical legal education courses should be more than just exercises in skills acquisition for professional legal practice, but should also include a theoretical component encouraging critical examination of the activities of legal practice. This implies a recognition of the human and social character of law practice. (MSE)

Discusses the desirability of curriculum reform, the status quo, and difficulties facing those who challenge fundamental assumptions of subject matter design and sanctioned practice. The article suggests alternative models of curriculum design and practice, highlighting structural changes needed in classroom instruction, professional education,…

A survey of 58 dental school periodontics departments revealed the frequency of predoctoral dental students performing surgery, the frequency of specific procedures, the degree of participation or performance of students, incidence of preclinical surgical laboratories in the curricula, and materials and anesthesia used. A wide range in…

Discusses a new language curriculum model called the "merry-go-round model," which involves the use of levels rather than courses. By emphasizing skill acquisition rather than course completion, this system allows individual progression and groups students according to their level of skill development. Assessment in this program is…

InSight, a series of 10 HyperCard stacks, provides optometry students with first-hand experience with a number of visual phenomena and a variety of experimental data acquisition and analysis techniques. Each stack contains background information on the experiment topic, instructions, references to the literature, and questions to be answered.…

A study in a Dutch law school investigated interactions between students' learning orientation (internalizing/meaning, dependent, minimalistic, achieving/strategic) and appreciation of aspects of structure (content, organization, social) in the educational environment and curriculum. A consistent pattern of student attitudes that varied according…

Traces the evolution of introductory computing courses for undergraduates based on the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) guidelines published in "Curriculum 78." Changes in the curricula are described, including the role of discrete mathematics and theory; and the need for a broader model for designing introductory courses is…